The Heart Asks Pleasure First
by CorkBug90
Summary: There has always been something between Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy that blood purity, Hogwarts Houses, friends, and fathers couldn't diminish. Now it's been 12 years since their first "encounter" one night in the Hogwarts Library and they're ready to finally see what that something really is between them and where it might lead.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I have edited this chapter so if things seem slightly different from the last time you read this then you have a keen eye. I hope to have chapter two up soon. I don't really have a clear picture of where this story is going and I kind of like it that way. I'm just going to let the characters lead me so bare with me because I promise I will edit as I go. I am also very open to constructive (key word here folks, CONSTRUCTIVE) criticism because if you don't what isn't working how can you fix it and make it better. Anyways, enough jibbering, onto the story. I hope you enjoy. 5/1/2017**

There she was, Hermione Granger. The smartest witch of our age and the strongest woman I knew, save only my mother, crying alone at a table in a back corner of the library. Without a second thought I strode over, covering the distance in a matter of moments, and wrapped my arms around her hunched form. She turned and nestled her head into the safety of my shoulder. I ran my hand slowly over the curl of her hair and down her back. Her tears came harder as I held her there in our nearly deserted library. It was our safe place, our world away from House rivalries and foolish friends, where we could be ourselves without the judgements of those who were most important to us.

We sat there for a long time, the sound of her quiet sobs the only thing that passed between us. She felt small and fragile in my arms which was a complete contradiction to the fierce, strong witch I knew her to be. I pulled her tighter to me and hummed a lullaby my mother had sung me when I was growing up. Gradually her sobs subsided and her breathing evened. She waited to pull away until I had finished the warm tune.

"Are you alright?" I wiped away a trailing tear.

"Yes, I'll be fine." She smiled weakly turning back to the table full of homework.

I remained there, propped at the edge of my seat and watched her shuffle her parchment uncomfortably. She was making a point to look anywhere but at me so I backed off. Leaning back in my chair I pulled out my books and parchment. We settled into the quiet routine we had developed. We spoke only to discuss a problem or ask the other for ink. Though we had sat here much like we were a thousand or more times, this time was different. Our glances kept straying to each other and neither of us was as focused as usual. I tried to ignore her robes brushing against my thigh as she reached across the table for another book, or the smell of her hair as it wafted in my direction with every turn of her page. I read the same recipe, for a potion we were going to be tested on, 18 times because I was more focused on the sound of her breathing. Just as the tension was becoming too much, she spoke.

"Draco?" She turned to look at me.

"Yes?"

We stared for a moment too long. Our eyes were locked in some sort strange curse that I never wanted to counter. If anyone had walked passed us at that moment what came next would never have happened.

I edged towards her in my chair and she met me in the middle, our knees pressing up against the other's chair. My eyes trailed over her face, her hair, her neck stopping at her lips. I leaned toward her, lifting my hand to curl deep in her bushy hair. My lips pressed softly against hers and every nerve in my body lit on fire. I wrapped my other arm around her waist and pulled her closer to me. I had imagined countless moments like this in the time that I had known her but none of them compared to the real thing. Her smell was my oxygen and I couldn't get enough.

Tilting her head to one side she deepened the kiss parting my lips with her tongue. I tightened my grip in her hair and she sighed, relinquishing control to me. I took it without complaint. My heart beat faster as she wrapped her arms around my neck. Nibbling and sucking I toured all the places I had dreamed of tasting. She giggled as I pecked my way back up to her full, babydoll lips. I moved with her as she explored, testing to see what I liked best. I liked it all. We went on like this for an eternity that spanned only moments. It all came to a sudden end as Madame Pince's footsteps marched up the aisle. We leapt apart with a shock.

"You two, library's closing. Back to your dormitories."

With a scowl she stalked off back to her perch at the front desk. My face burned with embarrassment, and the memory of Hermione's lips. Neither of us spoke. Our eyes locked on our bags as we hurriedly packed. We walked together silently out of the library and down the hallway. At the staircase we went our separate ways, she going up and me going down. I stopped a couple of stairs down and watched her as she made her way back to Gryffindor Tower and those two twats she called friends. My heart sank as the realization that I could never tell anyone about this, the best night of my until now boring life settled over me.

I made my way sadly back to the dungeons and into the common room. As I had expected there were Crabbe and Goyle. They were watching as Blaise and Theo played a game of Wizard Chess in front of the fireplace. Ignoring Blaise as he called my name I went straight to our dormitory. I threw my bag on the floor at the end of my bed and kicked my four poster. I shouldn't have kissed her, if anyone found out... I pushed that thought quickly out of my head and thought back to those minutes in the library. Nothing was ever going to be the same between the two of us, but what did that mean? My mind went over and over the events of the evening and possible outcomes while I changed for bed. Each scenario was worse than the last until finally I crawled miserably into bed and closed my eyes. The faintest whiff of Hermione's shampoo came off the hand balled beside my face on my pillow. I was back in her arms. I replayed the events from the library in my mind and drifted blissfully off to sleep, leaving all the worry, disappointment and fear in the waking world.

It had been nearly 12 years since that night in the library, yet standing here today watching Hermione crying at her desk in The Department of Magical Law Enforcement I felt 14 all over again. Just as I had done then I took her into my arms and held her. She pushed away from me, startled, before relaxing and letting the tears come. I rubbed circles round her back and hummed that same lullaby from so long ago as she let go of the sadness that had overwhelmed her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is it! Finally! The much awaited second chapter. I am soooo soooo sorry that it has taken me sooo long! This chapter is much longer and much steamier than the last so hopefully that makes up for the serious delay of publication, at least somewhat. I'm trying to work on being much quicker about writing and updating this story because I think it is going to be very dramatic and complicated and I'm looking forward to seeing where this relationship can go. I'm also considering crossing it over with my Ronsy fic so keep an eye out for that possibility.**

 **But without further adieu, here is Chapter 2**

It had been nearly 12 years since that night in the library, yet standing here today watching Hermione crying at her desk in The Department of Magical Law Enforcement I felt 14 all over again. Just as I had done then I took her into my arms and held her. She pushed away from me, startled, before relaxing and letting the tears come. I rubbed circles round her back and hummed that same lullaby from so long ago as she let go of the sadness that had overwhelmed her.

Just as it had all those years ago the lullaby slowed her sobs and calmed her breathing. I sang it quietly a second time through before falling silent. She breathed quietly on my shoulder, her arms folded in her lap between us. I rested my head on hers and let the smell of her seep into me.

"Are you alright Hermione?"

Her name felt strange in my mouth, like some forbidden word I had never let myself say out loud. She stayed where she was making only a soft non committal noise. She pulled slowly away from me and wiped her face. It was red and blotchy from the crying and there were trails of mascara down her cheeks. I knew without looking that there were stains soaking my silk shirt but I didn't care. I had other shirts.

I sat silently next to her as she cleaned herself up, waiting to see if she would explain. She continued to ignore me. I sat there for a few minutes more before giving up. I stood, heading back toward my desk and the pile of work I had been putting off.

"If you need me…" I let the words trail away as I sat at my desk which faced hers.

She finally looked up at me. The raw emotion in her eyes struck me to my core. I wanted to reach out and touch her, to take her in my arms again and show her that everything would be alright. But I couldn't do any of that. We weren't friends, we had never been friends and aside from that one blissful moment in fourth year we had rarely been alone together. It was only since we had begun working together at the Ministry that we had started to talk again and even scratch the surface of getting to know each other.

She looked back at her desk.

"I just got an owl." Tears filled her hazel eyes again. "It's my father. He's been ill for some time now, but he took a turn for the worse two days ago."

The tears brimmed over, running down her face. Getting up from my desk I walked back and sat beside her again resting my hand gently on her back.

"The owl was to tell me that he died last night."

There were no words I could say that would ease the hurt she was feeling, so I kept silent. I stood up and walked back to my desk. Pulling open the bottom drawer I took out two short crystal glasses and an ornate bottle full of a swirling, pale blue liquid. Making my way back to Hermione's desk I sat down and popped the cork. Filling one of the glasses halfway I set it down in front of her.

Raising my filled glass to her I cleared my throat, "To Mr. Granger, a good man and a beloved father."

Tapping the rim of my glass against hers I took a sip. She mimicked my motions slowly, taking a long drag from the crystal glass. Her face relaxed as the sweet liquid made its way smoothly down her throat. She sat back in her chair with a glazed look in her eyes as though she were far away in a memory from days gone by. A wet smile crossed her face briefly as she took another sip.

I liked her best in these moments, when I could look at her and she was too focused to notice. I found the most remarkable things when I was given the opportunity to explore the planes of her face and the curl of her hair. It was like buried treasure that only I had been given the map to find. Like the freckles that flowed over her nose and across her high cheekbones; the crinkles at the corners of her eyes from the years of laughter; the crease between her brows from all her years of intense study. We sat that way in silence, me looking at her, her looking at nothing for another few moments before she blinked and looked at me in surprise as though she had forgotten where she was.

"Sorry about that." She blushed and looked down at the glass in her hands. Lifting it she took another sip.

"Ron always gets so annoyed when I do that. Always got." She corrected herself. "We're not together anymore. I broke it off about a week ago, that's probably why this is all hitting me so hard."

I looked at her sympathetically. It was well known that I had no love for Weaselby, but to see the pained expression that crossed her face when she mentioned him brought me no joy. She clearly missed him and with the loss of her father it made the pain of losing him that much greater. Two dear men in her life that she could no longer turn to for comfort.

"All I want to do is talk to Ron about all this, but he was so upset when I ended things between us that if I leant on him now I'm certain it would just confuse things. And the last thing I want to do is hurt him anymore. I would talk to Harry but he's so busy with Ginny and the kids and work that I wouldn't know how to find him." She sighed heavily, her body caving under the pressure of all the emotions she had kept bottled up.

I rubbed her back slowly and silently poured her another drink. She downed it in one go and clanked the crystal firmly against the table. I laughed softly and finished the rest of my own drink before refilling both our glasses again.

We drank until the bottle was nearly empty and she was smiling. She told me stories of growing up with her father. Sweet stories full of tickle fights and grand adventures in the garden; reenactments of scenes from things called "films" on the stage known simply as "Front Room"; books read at bedtime that he would do all the voices for. He had been the one who had sparked her passion for reading by showing her just how bright and fulfilling the worlds inside those pages could be and teaching her that being smart was something to be proud of.

"Your father sounds like an extraordinary man Hermione. I wish I had gotten a chance to meet him." She stared deep into my eyes, her smile faltering for a moment as her eyes misted over.

"I think you two… two… got on." She shook herself slightly, blinking. "I think I'm drunk."

She gaped at me and burst out laughing. I laughed with her. Seeing her like this was a new and quite wonderful experience that I thanked Merlin I was given. I regretted, not for the first time, the way I had treated her in school and all the time I had wasted trying to do as my father wished. When I thought of the fun times we could have had together it made my heart ache. I had been with other girls dating my fair share of "appropriate" girls, but Hermione was the only one that I could never let go of no matter how hard I tried. She was magnificent.

She stood up and took one wobbling step before losing her balance completely. Launching out of my chair I pulled her towards me to steady her. We ended up pressed together staring wide eyed at each other. Time stood still with her there in my arms. She was soft and warm and I wanted only to have her near me from this moment forward.

All at once time started moving again at double speed and suddenly her lips were on mine. The sensation was just as sweet as it had been all those years ago. Her lips were soft and unsure tasting of salt and liquor as they pressed against mine. Reacting quickly I wrapped my arms around her tightly, cradling her bushy head in my hands. Sensing my eagerness she wrapped her arms around my waist and poured herself into the kiss. Her body moved with mine as we groped and rolled and bent into each other.

My hands roamed over her body grasping her ass before sliding over her hips and up her waist. She gasped against my mouth as I firmly gripped her pert breast through the fabric of her shirt and sweater. If she was this sensitive now I thought gleefully of the sounds and expressions I could coax from her later. Emboldened by her reaction I lifted her onto her desk and pushed her skirt up and around her hips. She gasped. My hands roamed up over her curves to cup her face gently. I stared deep into her eyes making a mental note of their every hue. She leant into me and our lips met again. Where our movements before had been frenzied and electric this kiss melted like snow. It was deep and raw and like no kiss I'd ever had before.

My fingers snaked through her hair, gripping tightly. She wrapped her arms around my waist and began pulling my shirt free of my slacks. My stomach jumped with excitement and my groin ached for her. To feel how much she wanted me in the arch of her body and the depth of her kiss made me light on fire. I wanted her more than I had wanted anyone in my entire life. She finished pulling my shirt from my slacks and picked up her wand.

I took a step back as the tip of her wand leveled over my chest. A surge of panic rushed through me as images of the hexes detailed in my Hogwarts school books floated through my head. Being best friends with the Boy Who Lived and the "cleverest witch of our age" had also probably taught her some hexes that would only have been available in the restricted section at Hogwarts. I thought back to the moments leading up to this and wondered where I had gone wrong. What messages I had misread. With a swift flick of her wand all the buttons on my shirt popped open and my shirt was thrown across the room.

"You had me worried there for a moment." I chuckled, relief washing over me.

"What did you think I was going to do? Hex you?" She smirked, a mischievous glint twinkling in her eye.

"As a matter of fact…"

She laughed and pulled me towards her, "come here you big idiot."

Her hands caressed the sensitive skin of my chest and back as our lips devoured each other. Our kiss once again became frenzied each of us trying desperately to get closer to the other. I pushed her away and tore off her sweater revealing a silky cream blouse. Admiring the way her curves showed through the delicate fabric I traced my fingers over the curves of her breasts. Her body shook with the sensation. Small whimpering noises chirped from her lips as I teased and caressed her.

Moving to her buttons I undid them letting my fingers trail along her warm skin as I did. Gently pushing her shirt off her shoulders I exposed her full chest and honey brown skin. I took her in. My eyes traveled from her bosom along her waves of skin making a mental road map. I wanted to explore her fully, but she became bashful under my concentrated gaze. She hooked a finger through my belt loop and pulled me towards her.

We resumed kissing each other with renewed enthusiasm. With her hand that had just been stuck to my belt loop she undid my fly. Slipping inside the loose hanging fabric she gripped me tight. I groaned into her mouth and pressed harder against her. Her hand tormented me. She brought me to the edge of release and stopped.

Taking a step back I pulled her hand from down my pants and spun her around. Bending her over I took great pleasure in crouching down behind her and lifting up her skirt. First I rolled down her stockings, then I pulled down her lacy blue panties. I never would have imagined her wearing something so sultry, she seemed like a woman more focused on sense than style. I thanked Merlin that I was wrong. Caressing the soft skin of her rear and thighs I took in the full sight of her in front of me. She made soft chirps and gasps as my hands roamed free. When I finally leaned forward and tasted her ripe honeysuckle sweetness she moaned loudly. Sticking her fist in her mouth she tried to muffle the sounds she was making. It didn't work. As my mouth explored her breathing became labored and her moans became louder.

I focused my attentions more directly and she was forced over the edge of ecstasy. Her legs shook uncontrollably and she clung to the desk like a life preserver in rough waters. I stood up, unable to delay my satisfaction any longer, and took her in my arms. Popping her back up onto the desktop I fully undid my pants and let them fall to the floor. Quickly, I maneuvered myself between her legs and thrust. She gasped and moaned loudly which only spurned me on faster. She gripped me tightly as I moved, driving me over the edge. Holding on as long as I could we finally reached our peak at the same moment, collapsing into each other.

Tilting her head back I kissed her deeply. In this brief encounter I had fallen deeply and irrevocably in love with her. I cradled her there in my arms not wanting to break this moment. After a few minutes she pulled away from me and slid off the desk. Pulling her stockings and shirt back on she stepped away from me and picked up her sweater.

I followed her lead and put my clothing back on. Watching her settle her sweater back into place I could see the walls she had let fall being picked up and put firmly back into their places. Silently I prayed that this was not just going to be a repeat of the events in our fourth year. I could not take it if it were.

Picking up and replacing the things we had knocked off her desk she refused to look at me. The tension in the air mounted as she fiddled with the items on her now pristine desktop, still not looking at me. It took everything in me not to put my own walls up as a response to her cold attitude.

"Hermione…" I let her name hang in the air, unsure of what else I could say.

Our relationship was so complicated that if I said the wrong thing now everything I was hoping for could all go up in smoke. She slowly turned to look at me. Worry and grief and guilt danced across her face in a parade of internal struggle. I took a tentative step towards her. When she stayed where she was I took another few steps until I was once again right beside her. I wrapped and arm around her shoulders and she leaned against me resting her head on my shoulder.

"Hermione, please don't shut me out again. I know I haven't been kind to you in the past, but I regret that everyday, especially now that we are working together so closely. I think you are an incredible witch and an incredible woman and I have an enormous amount of respect for you. Please let me show you how much I have changed." I breathed the words into her hair.

She pulled away and looked me deep in the eyes. Something she saw there made her features soften and a smile pull up at the corners of her mouth.

"I think I'm still a little drunk. Would you like to come to my apartment to have some tea?"

Smiling broadly with relief I nodded vigorously.

"I'll grab my things."

Throwing my bag over my shoulder and clutching my coat under my arm I followed her out of our office.


End file.
